David Jaffe, known for creating God of War, drew criticism after comments about The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. He expressed surprise at the absence of negative reviews given the game’s visual style, noting that the look of the game had sparked considerable online debate. Early Game reported on the exchange via Portal.
In a Twitter review, Jaffe wrote that a good game remains a good game, and he signaled that he had just started playing The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and was pleased with his early impressions. He pointed out that many players are highly focused on graphics, making his observation about the visuals notable: it seems surprising that reviews have not more strongly locked onto the presentation so far.
Following up, Jaffe clarified that gameplay always comes first for him, yet he described Tears of the Kingdom’s graphics as faded and outdated. His remarks reflect a broader conversation about how much emphasis should be placed on visual fidelity versus gameplay depth in modern action adventures.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, an action–adventure title developed by Nintendo, released on May 12, 2023. Across major review platforms, it gained extraordinary reception, with OpenCritic rating the title among the highest rated games of all time. This underscores how industry watchers weigh artistic direction, technical polish, and player experience when forming consensus on a single title.
Coverage from various outlets notes the ongoing discussion around the game’s presentation in contrast to its critical acclaim, illustrating how public perception of graphics can influence, and sometimes diverge from, overall reception. In this dynamic, fan communities and critics alike consider how a game’s visual style supports or competes with its mechanics, world design, and story. The broader conversation includes how new releases in long-running franchises are evaluated as benchmarks for future projects and how creative teams balance nostalgia with innovation. The debate also touches on how the gaming press contextualizes a title within the Nintendo catalog and the wider market forConsole and PC experiences alike. (Citation: OpenCritic)